“What’s got you so down in the dumps, Muscles?”

Alexa raised her head from the table in the common room to see Eric standing there staring at her.

“Wh-what do you want, Eric?” Alexa croaked out as she looked up through her traitorously puffy eyes.

“Nothing much, just curious,” Eric said casually before inspecting his fingernails theatrically, “You’re usually such a bundle of sunshine and energy even after classes, you know. I’m wondering if I should turn on a lamp to make up for the difference with how much you’ve been moping around these last few days.”

“Like I’d tell you of all people…” Alexa muttered.

“C’mon. I think I can guess,” Eric said, “It seems the rock solid trio has turned into the solid duo and Alexa, hm? The two of them were rather adorable at the Yule Ball last week. A perfect little couple, staring into each other’s eyes and everything…”

“Shut up, you don’t know anything,” Alexa said reproachfully.

“C’mon, Muscles. When have I led you wrong? I do what’s funny, and you’re not being very entertaining right now like you usually are.”

“Because that’s all we are to you, sources of amusement, is that it?”

“Of course,” Eric said seriously, “I’m not going to try to lie to you. But at least I’m consistent. How consistent have Ginny and Jack been recently? Abandoning you here so they can spend some time together all on their lonesome. Really shows the bonds you’ve built with each other, that they’ve thrown you to the side so quickly. Poor Muscles. Jealous of Ginny maybe? Wanting the handsome Jack for yourself?”

“It’s not like that!” Alexa said, “I don’t care that they’re dating. Whatever, I mean I like Jack but not like that.”

“But…” Eric asked leadingly.

“Ugh, you’re right,” Alexa said in despair, “We were a trio and now I’m just going to be a third wheel while they are all gross and lovey dovey and things all the time.”

“And what are you going to do about it?”

Alexa looked up in confusion, “Do about it? What do you mean?”

“Well, there are always options,” Eric said with a grin, “And I happen to be somebody who can give those to you. I’d love to take Ginny down a peg. She’s developed a rather large ego, I’ve heard.”

“You? Saying somebody has an ego? Are you kidding?”

Eric shrugged, “Hey, like recognizes like. Doesn’t she always have to be so special? Having a phoenix familiar, best grades of the three of you, always in the papers for something or other. And now winning the first task of the triwizarding tournament? Why, that would give anyone an ego, wouldn’t it? What do you think will happen if she wins?”

“So what? You want me to sabotage her somehow? Betray her so you can score better on the next task? Are you serious right now?”

“Of course not,” Eric said with an easy smile, “I almost never am. But just think about it. Ginny could have picked anyone. She’s the winner of the first task, almost any other boy would have instantly said yes if she asked them. She could have taken Jack to the ball just as a friend rather than making it romantic. She knew how this would hurt you, and she still went through with it. Why shouldn’t you get some petty revenge in return?”

Alexa hesitated, “Petty? How petty? If it’s not anything too serious then…”

Eric snapped his fingers and pointed at Alexa, “Now that, Muscles… is the perfect question. Let’s get into the details then. Why, I’ll even offer my help for free just for how hilarious this is going to end up being,” Eric said cheerfully before plopping down into the chair opposite of Alexa.

“So, do you want to start with some ideas, or should I?” Eric asked, “I can’t do all the hard work here, Muscles.”

Alexa hesitated and turned over the idea in her mind. Yeah, Ginny had been a jerk for doing this to her. Both of them were being jerks. Just a harmless little prank in exchange would be fine. Fred and George did it all the time. And maybe she could give them a piece of her mind while she was at it. She’d keep it tame, but maybe Eric could help give some ideas of what she could do.

Despite feeling uneasy about her decision, Alexa opened her mouth and began to speak as Eric kept grinning at her.

— — —

Ginny was talking with Jack animatedly as they made their way through the hallways.

“Where is it we’re going again, Alexa?” Jack asked.

“It’s up to the left.”

Alexa seemed unusually tense. Ginny felt a little bad how much her and Jack had been leaving her out of things lately. They were so caught up in dating and things that they hadn’t been spending much time with Alexa besides their morning exercise recently.

“Hey, Alexa,” Ginny said, “Sorry about…”

“Petrificus totalus! Petrificus totalus!”

Both Ginny and Jack stiffened and fell flat onto their faces, completely frozen by the charm. Ginny could break free, but she was too stunned to focus. What? Alexa? What was she doing?

Alexa used a levitation spell to roll the two of them over so they could see her.

The girl puffed up as if to give a long speech before suddenly a slow clap sounded out behind her. Alexa whirled around with her wand raised as Eric emerged around the corner.

“Eric?” Alexa asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Following the plan of course,” He said, “An amazing ambush Alexa. Why, if I didn’t know any better I would say that they trusted you absolutely just now. Not suspicious at all when you asked them to meet you in an out of the way place where no one would interrupt you.”

“What? Eric, I didn’t…”

“Shush. Petrificus totalus.”

Eric pointed his finger lazily at Alexa and the girl stiffened and fell backwards with a clunk on the stone floor, her flesh almost completely magically hardened besides her eyes that darted around. Alexa was lying just below Ginny’s stiffened feet.

Ginny shattered the petrification enchantment with a single blast of magic, but as soon as she went to move she was surprised by a cloud of Eric’s magic tendrils surrounding her on all sides.

“What do you want?” Ginny said through gritted teeth.

“Only what’s best for you three!” Eric said with a grin, “It was rather sad how easy it was to manipulate poor Alexa. Abandoned by her friends, alone and vulnerable. You’re lucky someone as compassionate and understanding as myself came by! Who knows what someone with ill intentions might have done?”

Eric levitated the three of their bodies at once and drew them together so they were shoulder to shoulder facing inwards in a triangle and facing one another.

“Why, I think what you three need is an intervention!” Eric said with some glee, “Some time to really talk about your feelings with each other where no one can interrupt you. For a long time. It’s Friday, it might not be until Monday that somebody even notices that the three of you are missing. You’ll have until then to work it all out with each other.”

“Eric! What are you doing?!” Ginny said, angrily using her own magic tendrils to fight against Eric’s. “I told you to leave them alone! This wasn’t the deal!”

“Make me.”

“What?”

“Go on, do it. Stop me from doing whatever I want to do.”

Eric started walking and the three of them floated in front of him in a triangular clump, Jack and Alexa’s eyes switching to look between Ginny and Eric. They started moving up the staircase of a nearby tower that just so happened to be right nearby.

“I-I’ll call Fawkes! He’ll burn you up! Stop it, or I’ll do it!”

“You won’t. I’ll tear off his wings over and over while you watch. He can regenerate them, but he’ll still scream in pain and it’ll be all your fault…”

Ginny froze, “I’ll… I’ll…”

Suddenly with a jump, Eric flew upwards to the top of the tower. Using his magic tendrils to lift his clothing and carry him along, and bringing the three of them with him. They were at the top of the tower now, one of the abandoned ones not being used anymore.

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“So, here’s how this is going to work,” Eric said, “After I wrap you up, I want you to be very careful. You’ll be hanging in the air by a thread. I do mean by a thread. It’s a long fall to the ground.”

With a flick of his wand the three of them went floating out of a nearby open window and into open air. It was over an over two hundred foot drop to the ground below and the wind was fiercely blowing across them.

“This little thread is very special. It’s very particular in what it likes and dislikes. What it dislikes? Flame, the tiniest amount of heat from your phoenix that it senses. And it’ll snap. Sending the three of you plunging to the ground. I don’t think it’ll be fatal. I mean, one of your friends might die, but you’ll probably survive Ginny.”

Eric twirled his wand and white strips of cloth burst out of his wand and began swirling around their ankles and binding their feet together. Ginny increased her assault with her tendrils desperately. Before she had been holding back and only using eighteen of them, but now she unleashed with her full force of thirty two at once. Eric’s eyes widened fractionally for a moment as she pushed him back before he came back down at her like a hammer.

With a flick of one of his tendrils, her head snapped to the side like she’d been slapped hard. She recovered and Eric slapped her again with his tendrils. She tried to ward off the blows, but she quickly lost focus as the world swam around her under the flurry of blows.

She almost called for Fawkes with their bond, but hesitated. Would Eric really hurt him? What if calling him here only made things worse?

Her face was hot and she could already feel the bruises forming when she had been hit. Her head was swimming as she tried to focus.

“Ahem, as I was saying,” Eric said as his magic tendrils overpowered her in her dazed state and the white cloth kept wrapping them up.

“This little cocoon I’m building is also very sensitive. Any magic leaves its little shell? Then our little fragile thread breaks too. That includes whatever other methods you’re thinking up Ginny, so don’t even try it or you’ll send all three of you plunging to the ground. You might be able to break free and survive, but will your two precious friends be able to?”

The white cloth was now wrapped up to their waists, rising faster and faster even as Ginny felt it growing thicker and adding even more layers near the bottom.

“Oh, and I forgot, I’ll also make your cocoon invisible,” Eric added, “So we’ll have to see which happens first. Do the teachers find you and bring you back to safety? Or does my little spell run out and you drop to splatter on the ground? I guess we’ll see in a few days. Maybe even a week at the most. Hehehehe. I’m ninety percent sure the teachers will find you in time, but one can never be completely sure.”

The cloth had wrapped them up to their chests and Ginny was still struggling to fight back from Eric’s magic tendrils drunkenly.

“Oh, I’d almost forgotten,” Eric said and he waved his wand twice. Alexa and Jack unfroze. Both immediately began shouting at Eric.

“Can’t have you talk through your feelings if you can’t talk to one another. Ginny, I’d stop now or all three of you might drop,” Eric said, “That would be unfortunate.”

Ginny blinked and the words finally registered in her mind. She finally retreated and protectively curled her tendrils around herself and her friends even while stopping any strikes outwards with them. Eric’s tendrils lifted off of their bodies and shifted to grab the cloth shell around them.

“Remember, no phoenix, and no magic leaving your cocoon,” Eric said, ignoring Alexa and Jack’s shouts and pleas.

The white cloth had reached their shoulders and in another second was over their heads and about to seal at the top.

“Have fun in there, you three,” Eric said, “I’ve even cast a spell so the air will stay fresh and it’ll clean you three automatically. So free to just go to the bathroom how you are and the cocoon will take care of it. I’m not a monster after all… I’m sure the three of you will come through this with a new appreciation of your friendship or newly found hatred for one another. We’ll have to see when you emerge as beautiful little butterflies. Transformed by your experience in the cocoon…”

The top of the cocoon of white cloth sealed at the top and instantly they were thrown into darkness. Ginny felt with her magic sense as the walls of the cocoon holding the three of them grew thicker and thicker until they were nearly a foot thick on all sides. She felt Eric layer a series of spells on the floating ball of cloth with the three of them inside of it. Then a single thread spooled out of the top of the structure and attached itself to the overhanging roof of the tower. Ginny could just barely sense Eric’s magic through the thick walls of the cocoon at the window. He stood there for a few minutes before walking off back down the stairs.

Ginny’s head was still throbbing and her face was bruised all over from Eric’s blows, but she was able to refocus slightly as she realized that Alexa was calling her name. She sounded scared.

“Ginny? Ginny, are you okay? Oh God…”

“I’m shfine,” Ginny mumbled and wriggled slightly. But they were all squished together and there was barely any room for her to shift at all. Each of them was sunk into the walls of the fabric and cocoon, bound up and barely able to move with their arms pinned to their sides and everything up to their stomachs wrapped up tightly in place.

“We’ve got to get out of here. Can you call Fawkes to save us? Call for help?” Jack asked.

“Doeshn’t work that way,” Ginny said, “Can only tell him to come. Can’t talk over the bond. He’d come and make us drop to the ground.”

“Well, what do we do then?” Alexa asked, “We can’t just wait for the teachers to find us, can we? Eric was right, that could be… could be days! A week!”

The cocoon suddenly shifted as a strong burst of wind hit it. They all swung to the side at a sharp angle as the wind pushed the cocoon, all of them remaining frozen. The wind died down and they became roughly vertical again.

“I think I’m going to be sick…” Alexa said, her face looking rather pale. Wait, face? Ginny could see.

“Can you guys see?” Ginny asked, “I think thersh light coming through the walls a bit.”

Alexa blinked and squinted at Ginny hard.

“Are those bruises? I see marks on your face. Did Eric hit you with a spell? Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Ginny said, “They barely even hurt anymore.”

“I… I’m so sorry,” Alexa said tearfully, “This is all because of me. I thought I’d just petrify you and yell at you both for a bit. I never meant for any of this to happen… I didn’t know that Eric was… I never would have even told him if I knew…”

“I forgive you,” Ginny said, “I know you’d never actually hurt us. It’s just Eric trying to turn us against each other to see how it’ll play out.”

“Ginny, what did he do to you?” Jack asked, “Eric.”

“Well, he slapped me with a spell a few times,” Ginny said, “My head’s ringing a bit, but I’m feeling much better now…”

“No, before,” Jack clarified, “You’ve always hated Eric. I always thought it was just something instinctive. But you talk like you know him, and he seemed to think so too. Did he do something to you, is that how you knew he was evil?”

Ginny hesitated, “Aren’t we here to talk about Alexa? How I’ve just realized that we’ve been treating her like she’s not important since the Yule ball?”

“I can cry about that later,” Alexa said, not getting distracted at all, “Is Jack right? Did Eric do something to you in the past?”

Ginny tried to think of what to say. She had so many layers of secrets. Balthazar, Teregatt, her intrinsic magic. Fate coming after her. Pettigrew. Eric. Everything. It was all so hard to keep track of. Where would the lies stop? Would they just keep building and building until they drowned her? Even now she felt like she was floundering, feeling all the lies she’d told pressing in on her from all sides.

“If… If I tell you everything,” Ginny whispered, “Can you promise never to tell anyone else? Both of you. I’ve never told anyone the full truth before. I… I want to. But not unless you can promise that even if someone threatens you that you won’t tell absolutely anyone. Not your parents, not the adults… I don’t want to lie anymore.”

“Anyone?” Jack said, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, no one. Both of you swear it and I’ll tell you.”

“I swear,” Alexa said, “I made a mistake. I won’t betray either of you like that ever again.”

“No one. Ever?” Jack clarified.

“Yes. No one, ever.”

Jack paused for a few seconds, seeming to seriously think about it.

“I swear,” he eventually said.

Ginny took a shaky breath. The truth. There was no taking this back. Balthazar would probably disapprove sharing it with anyone. But Ginny wanted her friends to know. How could they keep being friends if she kept hiding things from them?

“So, I guess I’ll begin with the death of the nine year old Harry Potter. His life was horrible, his aunt and Uncle never taking care of him, always making him feel bad about himself whenever they could. One day, his aunt wasn’t careful with a cooking pan, and he hit his head on the floor when she smacked him with it. He fell just wrong and… he was dead.”

“What?” Alexa asked in confusion, “Eric’s dead? But he’s alive?”

“Just… let me get all the way through first,” Ginny said, “Even though Harry was dead, he woke up in a strange place in a new body made of dripping black mud. Teregatt, the place is called. He was scared, confused, when a stranger with a body similar to his appeared. The stranger called himself Eric Smith…”

Ginny ran through her and the real Harry’s story from start to finish, not leaving one detail out. Her friends had lots of questions and Ginny had to stop several times. But eventually they made it all the way to the end.

“Okay, I have to admit something,” Alexa said after Ginny finished speaking and Jack and Alexa took a few silent minutes to process it all.

“What?”

“I peed my robes about halfway through your story. That was a freaking lot that happened to you in less than two years. I couldn’t hold it in any longer.”

“Ugh! Alexa, gross!”

Ginny thought she saw Alexa smirking slightly, “Hey, I took one for the team. I know for sure that the cleaning enchantment Eric put in here is working properly. If either of you had to go yourselves and were holding it in, just in case it wasn’t working.”

Ginny paused and realized that, yes, now that Alexa mentioned it her bladder was about to explode if she didn’t pee right now!

She only held it for a few seconds more before nature took its course now that she was paying attention to it. Ginny felt herself about to die inside from embarrassment even as the cleaning charm cleaned her soiled robes just as fast as she peed.

Ginny glanced over at Jack and saw that his expression was also twisted with relief. Oh.

“Let’s… let’s never talk about that again,” Jack said.

“Agreed,”

“Yep, totally.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“You went through a heck of a lot of stuff, Ginny” Alexa said, “I’m sorry for everything that happened to you. And for what happened to Harry. He didn’t deserve all of that, just to have everything stolen from him by Eric when things were just about to get better.”

“No, he didn’t,” Jack agreed, “I don’t know about all that with Fate, Teregatt, Balthazar… But we’ll do our best to help you. War buddies, right?”

“War buddies…” Ginny said in a distant tone.

“Yeah, When we get out of here, we’ll show Eric what for! Bam bam pow!” Alexa said, shifting slightly where her body was embedded in the walls of the cocoon, “With us at your side we’ll be able to do anything! Power of friendship and all that!”

Ginny smiled. Alexa was always so silly.

“Thanks, guys. I’m so glad that I can finally tell you the truth. I didn’t realize how much it was bothering me until I finished telling you both everything. I feel so much lighter now that it’s done.”

There was another strong gust of wind and they all tilted to an almost forty five degree angle as the wind pushed the cocoon to one side while it dangled from the single thread above them.

A reminder that despite all of Ginny’s warm and fuzzy feelings and sense that all was right with the world, there were still some things that she should still be worrying about.